Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Piaggia Carmignano Riserva 2021
Carmignano DOCG – Tuscany – Italy 🇮🇹

Overview
A compelling Tuscan blend composed primarily of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc, crafted by Piaggia, one of Carmignano’s benchmark estates, recognized for low yields, concentration, and precision-driven winemaking while preserving regional identity. The 2021 vintage beautifully captures the structured, terroir-focused soul of Carmignano without leaning into excessive ripeness or modern exaggeration.

Aromas & Flavors
Black cherry, ripe plum, dried herbs, tobacco leaf, cedar, earthy undertones, and subtle graphite unfold with remarkable balance and restraint. Dark fruit remains fresh and vibrant rather than jammy, allowing savory and mineral nuances to shine through.

Mouthfeel
Medium+ bodied with elevated tension, polished yet firm tannins, and beautifully integrated acidity. Structured and intentional, carrying both power and elegance through a long, refined finish.

Food Pairings
Excellent with bistecca alla Fiorentina, grilled lamb chops, wild boar ragù, roasted meats, or aged cheeses such as Pecorino Toscano or Parmigiano Reggiano.

Verdict
A serious and historically compelling Tuscan red that feels refreshingly authentic in a world often dominated by overhyped “Super Tuscans.” Piaggia delivers structure, terroir expression, and sophistication without sacrificing regional character. This is Tuscany speaking fluently through discipline and balance rather than sheer opulence.

Did You Know?
Long before the “Super Tuscan” movement emerged, Carmignano producers were already legally blending Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon as far back as the 1700s, after Cabernet vines were introduced to Tuscany under the Medici family. In many ways, Carmignano quietly pioneered the concept centuries earlier.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is exactly the kind of under-the-radar Tuscan wine that rewards drinkers looking beyond prestige labels and chasing authenticity, structure, and historical soul instead. Cheers! — 2 months ago

Samuel Sabori

9.1

Paired with Midlake’s Van Occupanther. A perfect pairing. The complexity is a 91, but with the album it calcifies the memory of both. As for the actual wine, the cork was dry, but the wine is alive, — 3 years ago

Byron Hewett

9.2

Rocking good Cava! At Enigma Concept. — 4 years ago

Space

9.3

Выпито 14.06.22 в Варшаве в ресторане Concept 13 с Эдуардом Бразовским. Зашло просто на ура! — 4 years ago

Chris Koupal

8.9

Former winemaker for Turley now making wine with long lost California varietals. I like the concept but this wasn’t anything special. — 6 years ago

Lexi

9.3

Deep golden amber skin contact Italian white, made with Albana grapes. Was real sexy but I got distracted listening to our freshly opened Bright Eyes Cassadaga vinyl and geeking out over how amazing every song is and all my deepest life memories this album has guided me through with my husband — 7 years ago

Veronica S

9.0

Blend of Petit Verdot and Alicante Bouchet, and a little bit of Syrah and Aragonez. Plum, mint, boysenberry on the nose. Medium and structured tannins. Fruit forward and light bodied. Rather unusual for this blend of wines.  — 9 months ago

Pooneet K

9.1

Nice wine. Refosco from Napa at barely 12% abv - what a concept. Might be nearing the end of its good drinking period, but still great acid and nice earth and some spicy dark fruit. — 2 years ago

David S. Lopez

9.2

This wine is a testament to the “buy the vintage” concept. Back when I couldn’t really afford cellear-able wines, I heard that 2010 was a great vintage for a Bordeaux and bought this at Trader Joe’s. I kept it cellared until now. The wind poured a deep, reddish purple in the glass. I aerated it and let it sit for nearly an hour after that. Although its nose was moderate, the flavors were fantastic. Strawberry, cranberry, other dried fruit. The tannins were intense. With a fairly decent finish. This is all I could hope for from a bottle of Bordeaux. I will probably be revisiting this winery, since it’s so easy through Trader Joe’s. The wine was a perfect accompaniment to the grass fed ribeye steaks we paired it with. Talk about a great deal for just probably $12-$13 at Trader Joe’s. #bordeauxrouge #saintemilion #redwine #traderjoes #rightbank #rightbankbordeaux — 3 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.0

Interesting concept where three different vintages of this Southern Rhône red (2014, 2015 & 2016) from different vats and barrels are blended together to produce this wine. Blend of Grenache (30%), Syrah (30%), Merlot (20%) with the balance consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon and other Rhône varietals grown around the Chateauneuf du Pape area. Dark ruby color with some amber and garnet highlights. Aromas of red and black berries, purple flowers, baking spices, leather, dried herbs and black pepper. Pallet is full of dark fruit flavors with notes of spices, smoke and minerals. Subtle tannins (after aeration) but still grippy. Rich and meaty. Compelling and complex. Needs a decant. — 4 years ago

Patrick Fishman

9.9

Yummy, Bold & smooth — 6 years ago

with Dana

Keith A Couch

9.1

High fruit, blackberry, red currant. Mid-strong vanilla. High tannin and medium high acidity. The finish is quite long. Extremely nice wine for the price point. — 6 years ago

Anthony Lombardi

9.4

Fathers Day in style. One of my very favorite wines from anywhere. Clos Canarelli Corse Figare Rose. It’s simply exuberant, but has a fresh, thirst quenching character to it as well. It takes a special bottle to pair with this album which I received as a Father’s Day present. The one and only recording from Michael O’Shea who played a self made 17 strong dulcimer of sorts and was encouraged by members of The The and Wire to record this in the early 80’s. Both have a soulful mystery to them which make for a wonderfully introspective time on an introspective day. I love that my family humors these little obsessions and shares them with me. — 7 years ago

Ericsson

9.1

Opening my first Jeroboam for twenty guests. Cheers. — 9 months ago

romo

9.3

WotN. With air this was a composite puzzle of herbs, yellow fruits, new album cover and petrol-stained fingers. Wow. — 2 years ago

Daniel M

9.1

No notes, cool restaurant in Montreuil, near Paris, wine shop and restaurant concept. Good wine and great food! We had razor clams and then fat duck breast (magret). — 3 years ago

B

9.0

Try this with a vintage album, such as Chicago Transit Authority circa 1969. Carries a bouquet of angry leftist rebellion with just a hint of “the world is watching”. Damn good wine. — 4 years ago

with Wendy

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

2016 vintage. Last tasted about six months ago. Then, it was light-bodied pushing a concentrated cherry focus with a dusty, lingering finish. Now, a bit more weight is evident. Still elegant but with the cherry dialed down from a boil to a simmer, there’s just enough tannins to make this cellar-worthy. A good choice for complex food pairings since it comes across as relatively simple but beauty stays in the picture and you can easily rock this without that tawdry concept known as grub. — 5 years ago

Michael Herzog

8.9

Love this night in and night out. Funny thing this time - on the nose there is something that won’t go away - remember when you would open a new album? Remember that smell? Not vinyl. No other way to describe it. Just very interesting. Very fresh smelling. Plenty of citrus too. Palate very nice and the album scent not there on the palate. Finish a little different than normal. Still nice. — 6 years ago

Anthony Lombardi

9.1

The Dictionary Of Soul should have an entry for the Unculin Mencia from Jose Garcia . This wine is sleek & elegant stuff with plenty of soul. This album also has plenty of soul, it’s the Dictionary after all. Happy Wednesday. — 7 years ago